S10.E07: Whom Shall I Fear?

[jewel21]

Gallo clashes with the new lieutenant temporarily filling in for Casey. Severide closes in on a dangerous and deadly arsonist.

Airdate: 11/03/2021

[SonofaBiscuit]

Mouch to Brett Dalton’s new character: Casey took Gallo under his wing.

Me: He...he did???

I’m not a huge Casey lover or anything, but I’m not really enjoying the show without him. It leaves too much screen time for characters I really don’t care about.

Speaking of characters I don’t care about, Gallo sucks. LOL, how can he mouth off to a superior like that and just get away with it??  I know they are setting up Brett Dalton’s character to be shady or something (based on Herrmann’s reactions), but in the meantime, I hope he makes Gallo pay!

Violet sucks too. Wish it had been Gallo who had moved to Oregon and Violet had gone with him.

Why isn’t Herrmann next in line as Casey’s replacement? It’s probably something obvious, but I am not getting it.

[iMonrey]

It strikes me as implausible that these fire fighters seem to be familiar with every machinery known to mankind. Every time they go into a warehouse or a factory they instantly identify whatever machinery has someone trapped within and know how every part works and what they're called. That's some AMAZING knowledge base they have.

Seager (the lieutenant working with Severide on the arson case, in case you didn't know her name either) says "Oh, our arsonist isn't some psychopath, this is personal!" Huh? Is she saying some religious fanatic isn't a psychopath like those things are mutually exclusive? Because when you tie someone up and set them on fire, you're a psychopath, full stop. Granted, the tin foil over the windows was a bit much. Just because you're a religious zealot doesn't necessarily mean you're a government conspiracy theorist too.

I can buy Severide investigating an arson case. It's stupid, but I'll buy it. What I don't buy is him chasing after the lunatic with the bomb like he's some kind of superhero. I thought that's what police were for.

Quote

Speaking of characters I don’t care about, Gallo sucks. LOL, how can he mouth off to a superior like that and just get away with it?? 

This was ridiculously childish. How old is he supposed to be? I half expected him to say "You're not the boss of me! You're not my real dad!"

I don't know what to make of the new lieutenant. Is he secretly a villain or is it just a fake-out? It occurs to me that they are going to have to replace Jesse Spencer with a new Handsome Male Lead. Don't know if this guy cuts the mustard,.

 

[jewel21]

I actually liked the replacement Lieutenant so naturally there's going to be something wrong with him, heh. 

I really dislike Gallo but especially this episode. Dude, grow up. 

[Dowel Jones]

I thought that Severide said that the bomber had a lot of ammonium nitrate with him.  That blast was hardly enough to dent the cars next to the bomb car.  And of course our intrepid engine crew was johnny on the spot with hoses fire extinguishers to save the day.

I laughed at how the OFI car came screeching to a halt at the second church call.  How fast do you have to go to override the ABS?

Area 51 (heh) is still missing a battalion chief and a captain, yet the show isn't putting up any new faces yet.  Then again, you would think that CFD would offer some overtime to the other shifts there.  Presumably there are some company officers on tap who know the equipment and the area.  Speaking of which, the Lt. shouldn't go around changing compartments without checking with the other shifts first.

I agree that Gallo is a twerp for his reactions, but the new Lt. did overreact a bit, both at the incident and back at the station.  He could have just said 'Put the webbing on, do it now.', and, back at the station, 'You need to follow orders as given.'  The tone with which he spoke overrode the clear instruction that he was given.  Still, Gallo deserved to be taken down a peg, but it should have been done in private.

 

[Ohiopirate02]

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Seager (the lieutenant working with Severide on the arson case, in case you didn't know her name either) says "Oh, our arsonist isn't some psychopath, this is personal!" Huh? Is she saying some religious fanatic isn't a psychopath like those things are mutually exclusive? Because when you tie someone up and set them on fire, you're a psychopath, full stop. Granted, the tin foil over the windows was a bit much. Just because you're a religious zealot doesn't necessarily mean you're a government conspiracy theorist too.

 

I just call her Wig due to her wig being so bad it's distracting.  

[FnkyChkn34]

18 hours ago, SonofaBiscuit said:

Why isn’t Herrmann next in line as Casey’s replacement? It’s probably something obvious, but I am not getting it.

Herrmann just made Lieutenant a few years ago, and already has his own firetruck to run.  Severide has more officer experience.  Neither are a Captain though, so I guess that's why neither one will step into that role.  If either of them should, then it should be Severide who should earn his Captain credentials (however they do that, with the exam and whatnot; he's smart enough, beloved by most superiors, and has arson investigation experience too, so I don't see how he wouldn't pass).  

[preeya]

10 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I just call her Wig due to her wig being so bad it's distracting.  

I refer to her as "Helmet Head"  Don't they have mirrors on set?

[Leeds]

23 hours ago, iMonrey said:

It occurs to me that they are going to have to replace Jesse Spencer with a new Handsome Male Lead. Don't know if this guy cuts the mustard,.

 

Jesse Spencer is handsome?  Whenever he's on screen all I can think of is Herman Munster with a fake tan.

[MsJamieDornan]

8 hours ago, preeya said:

refer to her as "Helmet Head"  Don't they have mirrors on set?

Her hair is awful and she cant act. Is she a close friend to the casting director ?

[DonnaMae]

On 11/4/2021 at 5:50 AM, Ohiopirate02 said:

I just call her Wig due to her wig being so bad it's distracting. 

I was going to comment on her horrible hair.  Why is this young woman wearing a wig on the show?  If she has to wear a wig, couldn't she have found a better looking one?

[Ohiopirate02]

42 minutes ago, DonnaMae said:

I was going to comment on her horrible hair.  Why is this young woman wearing a wig on the show?  If she has to wear a wig, couldn't she have found a better looking one?

There are multiple reasons why a WOC chooses to wear a wig in everyday life let alone while working in an industry notorious for not having the right hair and makeup people on set.  But, she is not the only WOC on Chicago Fire, and the rest all have better (if unrealistic for the setting) hair.  That bad wig is a choice.  Of course, this is not the first bad wig to make an appearance on TV.  Both The Blacklist and The Good Wife used less than stellar wigs on their lead actresses.

[DonnaMae]

11 hours ago, Leeds said:

Jesse Spencer is handsome? 

Not model handsome, just a normal nice looking man.  I wish we were more like Britain and hired actors for their talent, not their looks.

[NJRadioGuy]

I didn't dislike this episode. It was OK for the most part, but the church bomber looked like he put on 100 pounds and 15 years since last week's fleeting glimpse of him fleeing the crime scene. I'm guessing this story will be continued.

And yes, a pallet-load of ammonium nitrate would have done more than gut a car. Being a lawn care nut, though, I would imagine that most of the fertilizer he'd have been able to get would have been less-volatile ammonium sulfate, but I get the plot point. And the crispy-critter behind the wheel was grossly undersized for the actor (IRL the remains would have been gruesome beyond what could ever be shown on TV--no, it would not have been a fully-charred body after that brief a fire). Hand cans are all that would have probably been enough to put out what was left of the car, but an inch-and-three-quarters would have been better.

I agree, the wig doesn't do her any favours, but I've seen more than a few people with....odd fashion and personal grooming choices so, meh. Whatever. It makes her distinctive looking if nothing else. I don't hate it.

LT Pelham. Definitely something dark under the surface (Hail Hydra?) and I doubt he'll stick around. My guess (and it's only a guess) is Kidd gets truck as LT. Did I read that Miranda Rae Mayo was ill or otherwise unavailable for filming earlier this season? If so, maybe they had to rejigger the plot to put a temp in as LT? Just guessing here.

Unless Spencer's "departure" is a fakeout, I'm still not seeing what they're going to do with Brett in the long term. If she's staying on indefinitely  and JS is really gone permanently then she's going to be a devastated wreck moving forward. Meanwhile, there's definitely a spark between The Wig and Severide, but I doubt they'll go there, which is too bad in a way. I like the two actors' on-screen chemistry together. But as the token You'veGotThisStellaKidd Fan here, I hope this doesn't happen.

Gallo overstepped. Agent Ward--er--Lt. Pelham was absolutely correct at the rescue scene. He's a boss, and unless he's giving an order that will compromise his team's or the victim's safety, he's 100% within his rights here and Gallo shouldn't have mouthed off to him. Casey knew him, trusted him, and gave him more leeway. Pelham doesn't know him and has no reason to trust his judgement as anything other than Just Another Firefighter under his command. But I get what they were getting at (resentful young guy missing his friend and mentor, new boss will never fill the same void, etc).

Call me sappy, but I actually like Violet's "It's Not a Crush" reaction to Gallo and the BreweryBabe™. There's some chemistry there too that if they pursue wouldn't be horrible to watch. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by NJRadioGuy

[DonnaMae]

7 minutes ago, NJRadioGuy said:

Meanwhile, there's definitely a spark between The Wig and Severide, but I doubt they'll go there, which is too bad in a way.

Maybe on her part, but I don't see him showing any interest.

[dovegrey]

I thought I’d permanently stop watching after Casey’s storyline resolved… I watched last week, which was a ridiculous filler episode…but I really wanted to see how this episode played out, based on the description. It’s one of the first regular episodes I’ve enjoyed in a while, although the writers still think their audience is dumb and needs sledgehammer plots, like Gallo throwing all-out tantrums instead of giving him any subtlety. But, anyway.

I’ve said for a while that Fire is somewhat a victim of a mostly-stable cast. Kidd disappearing into thin air, Casey leaving 51, and Severide deciding to go back to OFI [when 51 is already down three positions… *slow clap*] solidified that for me. Honestly, after this episode, I think Fire could survive losing Severide and Kidd, just like Med has survived losing main cast, and I think the show would be better for it, just like Med has been better for it. The newer dynamics (Brett and Gallo talking?!?!?!?!) and just this one new lieutenant has freshened up the show, and it’s enough to be interesting again. For the moment.

I hope Brett Dalton/Pelham stays, even though he seems to be a carbon copy of Casey in his approach as officer, but I’m sure he'll leave (speculation, no spoilers), and Stellaride will take over the show. And then I’m seriously out. Can’t do it.

As for the captain position, there wasn’t a captain at 51 for the first five seasons, except for Patterson replacing Severide for part of season 4 (when Severide got demoted for being a shitty officer who did drugs at 51, faked urine tests because of drugs, pressured a coworker to steal drugs for him, came to work hungover, ducked out on shifts, got accused of sexual harassment after having sex in the turnout room, punched Otis, and burned through something like 5-6 elite firefighters in three years 🤣). Canonically, no one needs to replace Casey as a captain. Someone just needs to fill his vacant officer position on Truck, either as a lieutenant or as a captain. As it is, I don’t find it believable that an existing officer with years of experience hasn’t tried to take the spot yet, given that 51 is the bestest house that ever fought fires in Chicago. Herrmann only became lieutenant of Engine because Boden wanted to stick it to Gorsch. But the show would be better off NOT replacing the captain spot, since Boden is still pretending he’s the captain; it's a redundant position.

Brett is turning into Casey after Gabby left. So much for that paramedicine program.

Andy Allo (Seager) carries her own show (Upload) just fine. I'm surprised she came back to Fire for a few episodes.

[MsJamieDornan]

15 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

Unless Spencer's "departure" is a fakeout,

That's my guess..

[JenLily]

I’m in for new lieutenant. I have a soft spot for the actor from his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. days. I liked him shutting down Gallo’s childishness and it was hot as hell when he saw Boden grabbing the child, realized he wasn’t wearing protective equipment and ran over to shield (heh) the both of them. I hope he sticks around for awhile. I’m extraordinarily tired of everyone new being someone nefarious trying to take down the house (they go to the same well on this over at PD, too) so I’d be really happy if he turns out to be a competent fireman who just wants to do a good job. 
 

ETA: Wrote this before watching episode 8 so don’t know if I’ve already been proven wrong or not. 😄

Edited November 14, 2021 by JenLily